


Chasing Freedom

by Leslie_Knope



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Horses, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-24 05:17:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8358778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leslie_Knope/pseuds/Leslie_Knope
Summary: After Grace spends months begging for horseback riding lessons, Danny and Rachel finally relent. Danny is deemed the parent in charge of this activity, which he would be a lot more excited about if it weren’t so incredibly dangerous and if he didn't have to deal with giant animals that probably want to kill his daughter. And meeting her instructor, one Steve McGarrett, doesn’t really do a lot to ease his worries.





	1. Chapter One

“Gracie, baby,” Danny said, taking his eyes off the road for a second to glance at his daughter, who was practically vibrating with excitement in the passenger seat. “You don’t have to do this, you know. You can still change your mind, we can just turn around and go home.”

“Dannooooo,” she whined, rolling her eyes, and Danny sighed. He was really hoping to avoid such blatant condescension until she was a teenager, at least, which was almost a year away. But he supposed that with he and Rachel for parents, they were pretty much doomed for the whole eye rolling thing. At least she was still calling him Danno. “Don’t be silly. I’ve been wanting to do this for years. And you and Mom finally agreed.”

“I know, I know,” he said, nodding as he reached up to loosen his tie a little. It wasn’t being a cop that was going to send him to an early death, no, it was Grace _horseback riding_. Lots of kids were obsessed with horses, Danny knew, but Grace had maintained her interest over the years, even as others had waned, and he and Rachel had finally agreed that she could have lessons. Rachel was conveniently allergic to horses, so that meant Danny was on lesson duty for the foreseeable future. Normally he would be so grateful for extra time with his baby girl—and he was, definitely—but he wished that it didn’t involve giant animals who probably wanted to kill his daughter. Oh god, he needed to breathe again.

“It’s a left here,” Grace said suddenly, and Danny pulled his attention back to the road, flipping his blinker on. They passed under a tasteful wrought iron and wood sign, proclaiming Five-0 Farms. The property seemed large from what he could tell, with green pastures on the right and the left stretching as far as his eye could see. There was a cul-de-sac at the end of the long road, and Danny parked behind an obnoxiously large blue pickup.

“You know who we’re supposed to be looking for, right?” Danny asked, and Grace nodded as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Yeah, her name is Cath.”

“Okay. Don’t forget your helmet,” he said, unnecessarily, since Grace had been holding in her lap for the entire drive. Danny didn’t really see how this helmet was different than a regular bike helmet, honestly, but Rachel had just glared at him when he mentioned it and hissed something about Grace looking “appropriate.” He didn’t want to know how much money Step-Stan spent on her new outfits, but even he could admit that Grace looked adorable in her cute pants and little boots.

He wasn’t exactly sure where to go, but he figured that the huge barn in front of them was probably a good place to start. There was another smaller barn off to the left, a cozy-looking house to the right, and a big structure in the back that he couldn’t really see. Danny stepped inside and blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness. It was...really clean, actually, which was kinda surprising, and it didn’t smell anywhere near as bad as he had feared.

A dark-haired guy stepped out of what looked like an office and made a beeline straight for them. He was wearing ratty jeans and an ugly shirt with _pineapples_ on it, of all things, and Danny didn’t trust him. “You must be Grace,” he said, smiling down at her and offering his hand. “I’m Steve.”

Grace giggled as she shook his hand. “Hi.”

Steve turned to Danny, who stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “You don’t look like a Cath.”

“Nope,” he said with a laugh. “Cath had to go out of town unexpectedly. I’m filling in today.”

Danny hummed and nodded slowly, spotting a perfect opportunity to get out of this. “Right. Well, if I know Grace’s mom—which I think I do—then she found the very best. Which would be Cath, apparently, not you. So I’m sure you’ll understand if we’d prefer to reschedule at a time when Cath will be here.”

Steve blinked. “I—what? You’re welcome to do that if you want, but I don’t really see the point when I’m already here.”

“What if you’re some kind of hack? I don’t know that you’re qualified to teach my daughter.”

Steve tilted his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “Excuse me? I’m not a hack.”

“And I’m just supposed to trust you on that?”

Steve pressed his lips together and looked like he was deciding whether to smile or scowl. He eventually grinned, though it was one of those grins that Danny hated, like he was missing out on some kind of joke. “Grace is in good hands, I promise. I am just as qualified as Cath.”

“ _Danno_ ,” Grace said, poking him in the side. “Stop being mean. I want to take my lesson with Steve.”

He sighed and nodded, recognizing a losing battle when he saw one. “Okay. I’m Danny,” he allowed. He reluctantly took Steve’s outstretched hand, which was pleasantly calloused, and dropped it quickly. He was tall and broad, probably about Danny’s age, and while it certainly didn’t escape his notice that this Steve guy was _really_ attractive, he was trying not to think about that at all, really. Not important.

“Okay, Grace,” Steve said, propping his hands on his hips. “You ready?”

“Yes!” she said with a wide grin, and Steve smiled.

“Awesome. And what about you, Danno?”

Good _god_ , this guy. “It’s _Danny_ ,” he said through gritted teeth.

“She called you Danno,” Steve said, gesturing to Grace, who just laughed, that traitor. “Anyway, you can come back to pick her up in about an hour if you want.”

Danny snorted. He was a fucking _cop_ , thank you very much, there was no way in hell he was leaving his daughter with a man that he’d just met. “Uh, no. I’ll be staying, thank you.”

“Suit yourself,” he said, shrugging. “Grace, you want to go meet the horse that you’re going to be riding?”

She nodded, practically vibrating with excitement, and Danny piped in, “I’ll come, too.”

“You sure?” Steve asked, glancing warily at Danny’s shoes. “You’re wearing a tie.”

“And while your observation skills are _impeccable_ , I don’t really see how that’s relevant. I gotta meet this, this _beast_ who I’m going to trust with my daughter.”

Steve just laughed, that jerk. “Oh yeah, she’s a real beast, all right. Let’s go.”

Danny trailed behind as they walked back outside and toward the pastures. Grace was looking around wildly and peppering Steve with questions.

“How many horses live here?” she asked, and he tilted his head.

“Right now, 42.”

“You own _40_ horses?” Grace said, her mouth agape as if that was the best reality she could possible imagine, and Steve laughed.

“No, they don’t all belong to me. Some people pay to keep their horses here.”

“That is _so_ cool.”

Danny disagreed. He kept it to himself, though, and winced as he didn’t quite clear a mud puddle. They’d reached a fence edge, and a little horse came up to the gate when Steve whistled.

“Oh, look, it’s a redhead,” Danny said, and Steve sighed.

“Well, first of all, _it_ is actually a she. And it’s called chestnut.”

“She’s so pretty!” Grace said, extending her arm over the fence to touch the horse’s nose. “What’s her name?”

“Hermione,” Steve said with a wink, and Grace laughed.

“So is this a pony?” Danny asked, taking a step back. His eyes were a little higher than the horse’s shoulders. “Or a baby horse or something? Are they the same thing?”

“Danno,” Grace said patiently, “a baby horse is called a foal. A pony is just a small horse.”

“That’s right, Grace,” Steve said, looking just a little surprised, and Danny puffed up a bit, never one to miss an opportunity to brag on his daughter.

“She’s done her research,” he said, and Steve nodded.

“Yeah, that’s what your wife said on the phone.”

“Oh, Mom and Danno are divorced,” Grace said, very matter-of-fact as she stroked Hermione on the nose, and Danny winced. It had been long enough that he was generally over it, and he knew Grace was okay, too, for the most part, but it still hurt to hear her say it.

_Sorry_ , Steve mouthed to Danny, over Grace’s head, and he nodded.

Steve opened the gate and slipped something over the horse’s head, handing the attached line of rope to Grace. He dug in his pockets and fished out a few sugar cubes. “Here, hold it out like this,” he said to Grace, and she giggled as Hermione took it gently from her hand. “Danny? You want to?”

Danny raised his hands and took another careful step backward. “Um, no. Not really a fan of the horses, not so much for me.”

“Oh,” Steve said, his mouth stretching into a very annoying smirk. “Are you _scared_ of horses?”

Danny huffed. “Excuse you, _no_. I just have a healthy amount of respect for a large beast of an animal that could kill me.”

“Danno likes to exaggerate,” Grace said solemnly, looking up at Steve, and he laughed.

“Yeah, I’m starting to see that. Let’s go. Stand here, Grace, on her left, next to her head.”

Danny gave Grace and the horse a _wide_ berth as they headed back to the barn. “Okay,” he called out, from about 10 feet away, “how about for my sake, you give Grace a special lesson on how to be safe around horses?”

Steve gave him a knowing wink. “Okay, Grace, do you know about the fight or flight mechanism?”

“Yes!” she said proudly. “If they’re attacked, some animals fight back and others run away.”

“That’s exactly right. And horses are flight animals. That means no running, no sudden noises or movements, no approaching from directly behind or in front. Got it?”

She nodded, her serious face firmly set. Danny appreciated the advice, but he was planning to just stay as far away as possible, really.

“And watch their ears,” Steve continued. “Horses show a lot in their facial expressions and with their ears. How does Hermione look right now?”

“Um,” Grace said, twisting around to look at her. “Bored.”

Steve laughed. “That’s exactly right,” he said. “Now we’re gonna get her ready to ride, okay?”

“I want to learn everything,” Grace said solemnly, looking up at him, and he grinned at her.

“Well, that’s a very good start.”

Danny smiled—he couldn’t help it, his daughter was the best—and found a handy wall to lean against that was a safe distance away. Steve was showing her things, using lots of words that Danny didn’t understand, but Grace was soaking it all up with a sponge, looking up at Steve with clear adoration in her eyes.

The sound of clopping hooves came from the side entrance to the barn, and Danny looked over. It was a tall young woman, and when she took her helmet off, shaking out her hair, Danny’s eyes widened. Shit.

Her gaze swung around to him, and her eyes shone with recognition. “Danny! Hey.”

Danny gave an awkward wave and snuck a look at Grace, who was humming to herself and brushing Hermione. “Hey there Kono.”

Steve stepped closer and frowned, looking between them. “Do you two know each other?”

Danny opened his mouth to answer, but Kono cut him off. “Yeah, we’ve met before. Danny is Chin’s partner at HPD.”

Danny nodded, trying to smile while he prayed that she didn’t remember the extent of their interaction. “You know Chin?” he asked Steve, hoping to redirect the conversation.

“Yeah, we went to high school together. You’re a cop?”

He nodded again. Kono was grinning now, though, which meant he was probably shit out of luck. “Danny here,” she said, lowering her voice, “got a little drunk at a party last year and played with my hair and told me I was pretty.”

Yep, there it was. He groaned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Oh, god, I was hoping you didn’t remember that. I’m so sorry. Chin wouldn’t even give me your number so I could apologize.”

“Oh, no apology necessary,” she said, laughing. “You were _so_ polite, it was adorable. Definitely the sweetest of all the drunken come-ons I’ve experienced.”

Steve was still frowning—maybe he and Kono were together or something?—and Danny sighed. “No need to defend her honor, caveman. Chin already threatened to cut off my...arm,” he amended, after sneaking another look at Grace. He turned back to Kono. “Do you think we could maybe, you know, start over?”

Kono grinned and stuck out her hand. “Danny, was it? I’m Kono.”

“Lovely to meet you. You take lessons here, too?”

“She works here. With me,” Steve piped in.

“I’m gonna go grab lunch up at the house when I’m done,” she said, “you want anything, Steve?”

“No, I’m all good, thanks.”

Plastering himself against the wall, Danny nodded and smiled at her as she walked by with her horse.

Grace and Steve were almost done, and he trailed after them to the large structure he’d seen before, a covered arena behind the barn. Steve showed her how to hold the reins properly, and Danny winced as he helped Grace onto the horse’s back. Oh, god.

“So where’s the horn?” he asked.

Steve bit his lip, clearly fighting laugher, but Grace beat him to it. “That’s Western style riding, Danno, this is English style. Mom said it was more _proper_.”

“Of course she did,” Danny said with a sigh. “I’m surprised she’s not making you ride sidesaddle.”

“Do people even still do that?” she asked Steve, and he smiled.

“Yeah, but it’s more of a novelty thing now. Okay, Grace, let’s go.”

Sighing, Danny ran a hand through his hair and leaned his elbows against the fence. He couldn’t believe he was watching his daughter on a _horse_. He’d kind of hoped that this was a phase, hence the delay in actually allowing her to do this, but Grace was determined. And he was both proud of her and terrified _for_ her in equal measure. So, fatherhood in a nutshell, basically.

“She’s gonna be fine, you know.”

He jerked at the sudden voice and turned to see Kono standing next to him, eating a burrito. “How could you tell I was nervous?” he asked wryly, and she laughed.

“Bossman is the best. Grace is in safe hands, I promise.”

“Wait, he’s your _boss_?” Danny asked, and Kono looked at him a little funny, tilting her head.

“Yeah, why do you look so surprised?”

“I just, uh, I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, he’s the head honcho. Cath and I are the seconds-in-command, basically.”

“Oh,” he said, cursing himself even as he spoke because sometimes he can’t keep his damn mouth _shut_. “I thought you two were, uh—” He trailed off, waving his hand between them and hoping that was enough for her to get the gist. Kono laughed, her head tossed back, and Danny wished for a second that he hadn’t made such a terrible first impression. And that she was a little older. (Or that he was a little younger, actually. If he was wishing for things.)

“Oh, god no. I’m not really his type, anyway.”

Danny had nothing to say to that, so he just nodded. “How long have you been working here?”

“Since right after high school, pretty much. I rode horses and surfed growing up, and I couldn’t decide which I wanted to focus on. And then a nasty wave screwed up my knee and made that decision for me.”

Danny winced. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Can’t complain,” she said, her mouth quirking up, “everything turned out pretty well.”

He turned his attention back to Grace, who was _trotting_ now. Didn’t that seem a little soon? “So you promise this is safe?”

Kono laughed. “As safe as can be,” she said, patting his arm. “I gotta go get ready for another student, but good luck.”

Danny gave her a little salute and dug his phone out of his pocket—he promised Rachel that he would take a couple of pictures, and Grace was admittedly adorable on that pony. He watched with his heart in his throat for the next half hour, and he exhaled heartily when they all walked over to the gate.

“Did you have fun, monkey?” he called out. “You looked great.”

Grace waved at him. Her face was pink under the brim of her helmet, and she was grinning. “ _So_ much fun! I already can’t wait til next week.”

“You did a great job, Grace, you’re a natural,” Steve said, patting Hermione on the neck. “Let me show you how to give her a little bath.”

Grace stumbled a little bit when she dismounted, and Danny automatically steadied her by the shoulder. “Did you watch, Danno?”

“I watched the whole time,” he said, shaking her gently by the helmet. “And I even took some pictures and sent them to your mom.”

“I can’t wait to tell her all about it. Hermione is the best,” she said, kissing the pony’s neck, and Steve laughed.

“She’s pretty great. C’mon, let’s go back in the barn.”

Steve showed Grace how to clean Hermione off, and as he passed the hose to her, he accidentally sprayed Danny. “Whoops,” he said mildly, and Danny scowled. This guy, seriously.

“She did great, really,” Steve said to him, and Danny nodded, always eager to accept praise for his daughter.

“Thanks. Lots of girls are obsessed with horses, you know, but she was really committed and did her research. Step-Stan,” he spat, curling his lip, “wanted to buy her a pony, for fuck’s sake, but I managed to wrangle it down to lessons, at least at first.”

Steve nodded. “That’s good. Owning a horse requires a lot of responsibility. Not that Grace isn’t responsible,” he added hurriedly, “because she really seems like she is. But it’s a really big commitment, and you need a lot of knowledge. Much better to start with lessons.”

“So you’re telling me that I was right.”

“Do you want me to write it down for you, or something?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “You, uh, you own this place, don’t you?” he asked, keeping his gaze straight forward and somehow managing to avoid actually scuffing the toe of his. Eventually he snuck a look at Steve, who was grinning widely.

“Yep.”

“So this is probably the place where I apologize for being an asshole, right?”

“Probably,” Steve said with a shrug. “Are you going to?”

Danny sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said slowly, through gritted teeth. “For calling you a hack.”

“How about once more like you really mean it?” he asked, grinning, and Danny sighed again— _infuriating_ , that’s what this was.

“I’m sorry,” he said, enunciating obnoxiously, and Steve nodded.

“Your apology is noted, acceptance is pending.”

Jesus Christ, this guy.


	2. Chapter Two

Grace tromped happily through the mud puddles in her little boots, while Danny followed behind at a much more sedate pace, trying to sidestep the worst of it and wondering why exactly horse barns seemed to attract so much mud. This place was like a fucking maze, but somehow Grace seemed to know where they were supposed to be going.

There was a big horse show that weekend, one of the biggest of the year, according to Grace, and she’d begged Danny to go to with her. She wasn’t competing in the show—she’d given Danny a dry look when he asked and said that she wasn’t good enough yet—but Steve and Kono were, along with some other people from the barn that Grace knew. She had taken to this whole horseback riding thing like a duck to water, and Danny felt a confusing mix of pride and dread. She’d been progressing very quickly in her lessons with Steve over the past month—according to Steve, at least. Danny was a faithful observer, but he still didn’t really have a fucking clue what was going on. But he also didn’t dislike Steve as much as before. He was good with Grace, and he was even kinda funny, when he wasn’t being a jerk.

“Over here, I see their sign,” Grace said, tugging Danny by the hand. He narrowly sidestepped a pile of manure and winced—he really needed to get some more appropriate shoes.

Based on the signage and the banners, this row of stalls seemed to belong to Steve’s group. He and Kono were sitting on some kind of equipment trunk, talking, and a big black horse was tied up in front of them.

Grace waved, trying to get their attention, and Kono grinned. “Grace! Hi.”

“Hi,” she chirped as she walked over, her shyness completely gone around these people already.

“Hey, Grace,” Steve said, shaking her shoulder fondly. “Hi, Danny.”

“Hello, there,” he said, giving the horse a wide berth.

“This is Veronica, right?” Grace asked, gazing up at the horse. “Can I pet her?”

“Sure,” Steve said, with a little smile. “She’s very friendly.”

Danny found a seat out of the way and watched as Steve and Kono brushed the horse and got her ready to ride. Grace stood off to the side and carefully untangled the horse’s tail, clearly pleased to be given a job to do, as well.

“What’s that one?” Danny asked, pointing. He recognized the farm logo stitched into the cloth of Steve’s saddle pad, but there was another, unfamiliar one on the other side.

“One of my sponsors. That’s the company that provides my saddles.”

“Wait, wait, you have _endorsement deals_? Like a football player?” Danny said, spreading his arms in disbelief.

“Well, I _am_ a professional athlete,” Steve said dryly, his eyes twinkling. “So yeah.”

Danny leaned forward and then paused. “So you’re, like, famous.”

“I think famous is a bit of a stretch.”

“He’s very popular on Instagram,” Kono called out from the horse’s other side, and Steve rolled his eyes.

Danny snorted. “Oh, I’ll bet.”

They stayed for a little bit longer, until the horse was ready to go. “You guys should go find seats in the arena,” Kono said. “Save me one, okay?”

“You can go with them, Kono,” Steve said, gesturing. “Cath should be here in a few minutes.”

“You sure, boss?” she asked, and he nodded.

Kono led them to the main competition arena, which was a fully-enclosed indoor arena with stadium seating all around. They found seats near the fence, and Danny couldn’t hold back a gasp when he saw the obstacles in the arena—they were brightly-colored, _huge_ , and odd-looking. Some were wide, others were just tall, and one even had a big pool of water underneath. “Jesus Christ, those fences look taller than I am.”

Kono hummed and gave him a thorough once-over. “Close. Those can be up to 5’3.”

His jaw dropped. “Oh my god, are all of these people _crazy_?”

“Well, you gotta be a little bit crazy to do this,” she said, with a dimpling grin, and Danny winced.

He _continued_ wincing as they watched the first riders have their turns. Most of them knocked at least one fence down, and there were only a couple who managed to go through with no mistakes—“going clear,” according to Grace.

Finally, it was Steve’s turn, and Danny realized that this was the first time he’d actually seen him on a horse. He had to admit that, aesthetically, it wasn’t a bad picture. He and his big horse made an imposing picture, and he moved with such grace that he made it look easy. Danny assumed that it wasn’t.

“Why is he the only one in a red jacket?” he said lowly to Kono. “Everyone else has been wearing a dark color.”

“You only get to wear red if you’ve represented your country in an international competition.”

“Shit, really?” he asked, then winced. “Sorry, Grace.”

“I’ve heard curse words, Danno,” she said, giving him a flat look, and he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well I like to pretend otherwise, okay?”

Danny was pretty sure that he didn’t breathe for the entire 93 seconds that Steve was in the arena. He galloped around like a madman, and Danny winced every single time they launched over a fence. He didn’t knock any of them down, though, and when he tugged his horse back down to a walk, Danny was pretty sure he could see his smile from here.

Steve got a lot of cheers, including from Kono and Grace, and even Danny clapped a little bit. “Now what?” he said, with a harsh exhale, and Kono laughed.

“Now we wait for the last few riders to go, and then everyone who went clear gets to go again. Fastest time wins.”

Danny grimaced. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to see Steve going any _faster_. “Yikes.”

They were sitting next to some other people from the barn that Danny faintly recognized, and Grace was eagerly talking to a college-aged girl. Kono leaned toward him and lowered her voice. “I’m sure Steve has told you, but Grace is doing really well,” she said, with an encouraging smile, and Danny tried to smile back.

“I’m glad to hear it. As long as she’s not close to doing anything like this,” he said, waving his arm to encompass the terrifying fences, and Kono laughed.

“No, it’ll be a while yet. And Steve really loves Grace,” she said. “I had no idea he was so good with kids.”

Danny wrinkled his nose. “Don’t lots of kids take lessons at your barn?”

“Yeah, but Steve doesn’t teach them,” she said, laughing. “Cath and I do.”

“Uh—why not?”

Kono shrugged. “He’s really busy. He’s got several of his own horses, a lot of people pay him to ride their horses for him, and he teaches a few of our more experienced riders. But he has fun with Grace, I think he misses giving lessons as much as he used to.”

“Oh,” Danny said, rubbing a hand over his scruff. He wasn’t exactly sure what to think about that. “Well, that’s nice of him.”

* * *

Danny sighed and spun back and forth a little bit in his desk chair. He was sorely tempted to do a full background check on Steve—and had been since he met the guy, really—but that felt a little bit like invading his privacy, and Danny wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

The office was quiet that afternoon, and Danny kept sneaking glances at his computer, not at all enthralled by the report on his desk that he was supposed to be reading. He knew he probably shouldn’t do it. But Steve was spending a lot of time with Grace, right? Which definitely meant that Danny had a fatherly duty to investigate him as much as possible.

Happy to snatch onto the smallest justification, he rolled closer to his computer and typed as fast as his goofy thumbs could take him. He started with just Google, and there was no dearth of information there. Danny had gotten a hint of it when he and Grace went to that competition last weekend, but he really had no idea just how successful Steve really was. There were countless articles about his wins and pictures of him holding trophies, astride horses with giant ribbons around their necks. He had even been short-listed for the last Olympics, apparently, until his horse had gotten injured. Wow.

Once he was satisfied with what Google had to offer, Danny turned to the police databases. He found Steve pretty easily, scrolling through car registrations and permits and property deeds. A couple parking tickets but no arrests, thank god.

Danny kept scrolling idly until something caught his eye, and he froze. Steve went to the Naval Academy? He blinked, staring at a picture of a very young-looking Ensign Steve McGarrett. The dates didn’t seem to match up, though…he was out of the Navy, according to the records as well as his competition results, less than two years after graduation, and Danny was pretty sure that the service commitment for Annapolis was longer than that.

Whatever it was, the records were sealed, and Danny sat back in his chair with a sigh. Now he was curious as fuck, and he wasn’t exactly known as someone who could let things like this go. Yeah, this probably hadn’t been a very good idea.

* * *

“Hello?” Danny called out.

It was late on a Monday afternoon, and he was surprised to see the barn completely empty. Steve leaned out over a stall door halfway down the aisle and waved. “Danny? What are you doing here?”

“Grace left a book here over the weekend, I just came to pick it up,” he explained, heading in Steve’s direction. “Where is everyone?”

“We’re closed on Mondays,” he said with a small smile, and Danny felt a little dumb.

“Oh. Uh, sorry,” he said, and then he leaned over the stall door and looked in. “Oh my god, are you insane?”

Steve rolled his eyes and sat back down—considering the divot in the straw and the book next to him, he’d been there for a while. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re sitting there!” he exclaimed, pointing. “And that is a very large animal, just _laying down next to you_. That seems very dangerous.”

“Okay, could you keep your voice down, please?” he said, patting the horse’s neck. “This is Sam, and you’re gonna make her nervous.”

Danny watched as the horse—Sam, apparently—nosed at Steve’s thigh and rested her head there. “Is she okay?”

Steve sighed. “No, she’s a little sick. I’m waiting on the vet.”

“Do all the vets make house calls?” he asked, then thought about it for a second. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. How do you know she’s sick?”

“She’s running a bit of a fever, and she’s not really acting like herself. It might be nothing,” Steve said, stroking a hand down her face, “but she’s older and I want to make sure.”

Danny leaned his forearms on the stall door. “How can you just lay there with her? She could trample you.”

“I’ve known Sam for ten years,” Steve said, with an indulgent little smile. “I trust her more than I trust most _people_. C’mere, I’ll show you.”

Danny hesitated. Did Steve really want him to go _in_ the stall? “Why?”

“Because your daughter loves horses a lot, and she’s very talented. I think she’s going to be doing this for a long time, and it will be easier for you if you’re comfortable around them.”

Danny winced—damn Steve for making good points. “Fine,” he grumbled, opening the door. “If I get hurt I’m gonna blame you.”

“I have no doubt,” Steve said, and Danny might have been mistaken, but that sounded like a bit of fondness in his tone.

The straw looked clean, at least, and Danny was wearing jeans today. He sat down gingerly—damn knee—on the other side of Steve. Sam immediately swung her head over and pushed at his knee. When she snuffled at his hand, Danny jerked away and Steve did a poor job of stifling a laugh. “It’s fine. She’s not gonna hurt you, I promise.”

“You don’t know that,” Danny muttered, but he forced himself to hold his hand out again. She nosed at it, but the giant teeth stayed inside her mouth, where they belonged, and she quickly grew bored when she realized that he didn’t have any food. She moved away again, and Danny exhaled. “So do all the horses get this kind of treatment?”

Steve smiled. “No. Sam was my first really great horse, I’ve owned her since she was young. We were supposed to go to the Olympics.”

“I, uh, read about that,” Danny admitted, and Steve smirked. It was an annoyingly good look on him. “What happened?”

“She tore a ligament in her leg,” he said softly. “About a month before. Just a totally freak accident, she tripped.”

Danny winced. “Horses don’t seem like they were designed very well, all that weight on those skinny legs.”

“Yeah,” he said, with a rueful smile. “We were really lucky that it wasn’t worse. She’s okay, but we had to retire her. I still ride her sometimes, just to keep her in shape, but it’s not safe for her to jump very high. I should let Grace ride her sometime, she’s really fun.”

“She would just _die_ ,” he said, stressing the word like Grace would, and Steve grinned.

“Yeah probably.”

Steve scratched under Sam’s mane, and she twisted her face into his stomach. “You trust her a lot, don’t you?” Danny asked, more softly than he meant to.

“They’re a lot easier to trust than people,” he said, paying more attention than was really necessary to his scratching. “They don’t lie, they don’t judge.”

Danny was observant enough to realize that there was probably something else going on there, but he didn’t press. Especially not when Steve cleared his throat and stood up, gently dislodging Sam’s head from his lap. “Could you watch her for me?” he asked, stepping over Danny on his way toward the door.

“ _What_?” he hissed. “Are you insane?”

Steve just grinned. “I gave everyone the day off today, so I gotta go feed the horses their dinner. I’ll be back in like 15 minutes.”

“And you’re just gonna leave me alone with her?”

“Would you rather feed all the horses?” Steve asked dryly, and okay, yeah, good point.

“But what am I supposed to watch for?”

Steve shrugged. “If she starts to look distressed, then just yell. You’ll be fine,” he said, then he left.

“I am very uncomfortable with this!” he called out after Steve, but he didn’t get anything in response. Figured. Danny settled back in his spot with a sigh and gave Sam a wary look. “Please don’t hurt me.”

She made a snuffling noise and rested her nose in the straw, just a few inches from his knee. Danny hoped that was a promise.

After a few minutes, Danny couldn’t resist, and he reached out to touch the end of her nose. “Well, that’s quite soft,” he said, and she moved so that her head was hanging in his lap. “Oh, hello. Yes, you’re very friendly, but please remove your nose from my pocket. I don’t have anything for you, I’m sorry.”

The horse’s steady breathing was soothing, and she seemed to really like it when Danny scratched her neck. “My daughter might ride you, you know,” he said. “You better be nice to her, okay? She’s kinda new at this, and I worry.”

“You know, they don’t talk back.”

He startled and twisted to look up at Steve, who was leaning over the stall door with an indulgent look on his face. Danny scoffed. “You shoulda seen me with Grace when she was a baby. I talked to her 24/7.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” Steve said, letting himself into the stall and sitting down again next to Danny, a little closer than before.

“So how old were you when you started riding?” he asked, and Steve smiled to himself.

“I was really young, like four or five. My parents owned this place before I did. Then they, uh, they both passed away when I was in high school.”

Fuck. “I’m sorry,” Danny offered, even though he knew those words were basically meaningless. Steve nodded anyway.

“Thanks. I stopped riding for a few years after that but then I got back into it.”

Danny nodded and then paused, automatically constructing the timeline in his head. “When you, uh, stopped for a while, was that when you were at Annapolis?”

If this were any other situation, the way that Steve absolutely _froze_ would probably be funny.

But it wasn’t. Danny had screwed up and accidentally treated this like an interview instead of a conversation, trying to piece things together of Steve’s story before he had permission to do so. But before he could even open his mouth to apologize, Steve whipped his head around and glared at him.

“Did you do a _background check_ on me?”

Shit. He couldn’t really lie now, or talk himself out of this mess. Danny gulped. “I, uh—yes? Sort of. In a purely curious way because you’re an important part of my daughter’s life now. But I don’t know anything! Everything was sealed. If you wanted to—”

“Drop it,” Steve said firmly, his eyes cold, and Danny could suddenly see the soldier—sailor, whatever—that he’d been trained to be.

“Okay,” he said lowly. He wasn’t used to backing down, not at all—he was admittedly like a dog with a bone, which was a good quality in a cop but always in his personal life. He’d clearly hit a sore spot, and he could tell that Steve would not appreciate that kind of attitude right now. He stood up and brushed the straw off his jeans. “I’m just gonna, uh, go. I hope Sam’s okay.”

Steve didn’t react or say anything, not when Danny leaned forward to stroke Sam’s nose or when he let himself out of the stall and walked back to his car. He exhaled and braced his forehead against the steering wheel.

Man, he really fucked that up.

**Author's Note:**

> ♥ you all!


End file.
